Coal-car cover.



G. B. MILLER.

COAL CAR COVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15. ms.

Patented J une 25, 1918 WiTNESSES W 'n ATTO R N EY 7 form UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE B. MILLER, OF GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK.

COAL-CAR COVER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoncn B. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gloversville, in the county of Fulton and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Car Covers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock, and more especially to freight cars; and the object of the same is to provide a cover which may be drawn up over and practically a roof for an opeirtopped freight car such as contains coal. Experience has demonstrated the fact that when it rains or snows on the coal while in transit, and then freezes, great difficulty is experienced in unloading the cars and even in dumping the contents thereof. My object is to provide a cover for freight cars of this kind which will shed the rain and snow and thus avoid the difficulty mentioned.

This object is carried out by constructing the freight car cover in a manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed and as shown in the drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 an enlarged cross section of a freight 'car with this cover applied and one side drawn partly closed,

Fig. 3 is a detail of the hand wheel for operating the rollers.

Mounted on trucks T of any appropriate type is an open-topped freight car comprising a bottom B and upright sides S and ends E of any appropriate size and character. In fact, it may have a dumping bottom, but I have not thought it necessary to illustrate the same. The sides robably will not have doors such as are usec in box cars.

In the application of my idea to such a car, the sides S are made of double walls so as to produce pockets as seen at 1 in Fig. 9. and these pockets constitute guides for the flexible panels yet to be described. Above the pockets oblique guides 2 lead upward and are secured at 3 beneath a board 4: Which forms the runway along the top of the freight car as usual. In Fig. 2 I have shown how the end E is carried up to the guides 2 and may have an additional guide 2 if desired. Where said guides meet the top of the sides S, idle rollers 5 are mounted along the latter. Just beneath the board and in appropriate bearings carried by it, Winding rollers 6 are mounted, their trun- Specification of Letters Patent.

. nions 6 Patented June 25, 1918.

Application filed March 15, 1918. Serial No. 222,664.

being extended through the carends and squared as seen in Fig. 3 so as to receive the squared hubs of hand wheels or cranks 7. Adjacent said squared ends the trunnions carry ratchet wheels 8 adapted to be engaged by pawls 9 pivoted to the ends E of the car, thereby preventing a retro grade movement of either panel after it has been drawn up in a manner to be described below.

lVound upon the rollers are cables respec tively numbered 10 and 11, and secured upon the cables are a number of slats 12 which are connected edge to edge so that they will shed the elements as desired. These slats extend the whole length of the car as seen in Fig. l and collectively they make up a flexible panel for each side of the same, the panel being of suflicient height to fill the pocket 1 when it is let down thereinto as seen in Fig. 1, or to cover at least one half of the roof and to extend past the roller 5 as seen at the left of Fig. 2. When a panel is let down, the top of the car is exposed, but when the winding roller is rotated in the proper direction, its cables draw the panel upward, over the idle roller 5, until its upper edge comes beneath the board 4: so that in effect it forms a roof for the car-body. The pawl and-ratehet mechanism adjacent the hand Wheel will be sufficient to hold the flexible panel in raised position, but if desired I may have other devices by means of which it may be locked in such position when the car is completely covered, and thereby prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to its load. In any case I would prefer that the latching and locking devices and the winding rollers stand beneath the board 1 so as to be well protected thereby from the elements. In fact, said board may be said to constitute the ridge pole of a roof built over the open-topped car body. The sides S may be provided with outlets 20 through which there escapes what little water drips into or is loaded in with the coa and when this improvement is applied the load of coal will reach its destination practically free from water and therefore not frozen. If the latching or locking devices are used, they are then unlatched or unlocked. The pawls 9 are tripped, and the two sections of the cover permitted to run down over the idle rollers 5 by their own weight until they are housed within the upright guides or pockets 1 and the top of the car is open. The contents may then be shoveled or lifted out or unloaded in any appropriate manner, and as above suggested it may be possible to dump the load from the bottom B if the latter be provided with dumping means. Hinged at 21 to the upper edge of the outer sides are boards constituting covers 22 which may be turned down and outward as seen at the left in Fig. 2 when the panels are raised, or may be turned over inward as seen at the right of Fig. 2 when the panels are lowered, their obvious function being to close the pockets 1 and prevent coal and extraneous matter from collecting therein. These panels should be provided with notches 23 where the cables occur, as indicated in Fig. 1.

What is claimed as new is 1. In a car cover, the combination with guides leading up the car sides and converging'thence to a point above the transverse center of the car body; of flexible panels whose ends are mounted in said guides, Winding rollers journaled in brackets carried ne'ar the apexes of said guides, cables leading from said rollers to the respective panels,-and means for operating said rollers from the ends of the car.

2. In a car cover, the combinaton with guides leading up the car sides and converging thence to a point above the transverse center of the car body; of flexible panels whose ends aremounted in said guides, a board supported at the apexes of said guides and extending the full length of the car, winding rollers mounted in bearings beneath said'board and having manual operating wheels at their ends, pawl-and-ratchet holding the rollers against mechanism for movement in one direction, and cables attached to the rollers and leading to the respectivepanels, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a car cover, the combination with the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the above the transverse center of the car body,

and Winding rollers journaled in bearings at said apex; of cables leading from said rollv ers outward over the idle rollers and thence downward, slats secured to said cables and constituting two flexible panels, and latching means for holding said panels at said apex,

as set forth.

a. The herein have double walls producing upright pockets therein, guides carried by its ends and lead-' ing obliquely upward from the top of said pockets, a foot board extending longitudinally of the car above the upper ends of said guides, flexible panels whose extremities are movably mounted in said guides and whose bodies are adapted to be housed within said pockets, and operating mechanism beneath said board for raising and lowering panels.

5. The herein described car whose sides have double walls producing upright pockets therein, guides carried by its ends and leading obliquely upward from pockets, a foot board extending longitudinally of the car above the upper ends of said guides, flexible panels whose extremities are movably mounted in said guides and whose bodies are adapted tobe housed within said pockets, operating mechanism for raising and lowering said panels, and covers for closing the panels when they are lowered into said pockets.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE B. MILLER.

Witnesses:

S. T. Fosrnn, JESSIE E. Fos'rER.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O."

channeled guides 45 described car whose sides 55 said 66 the top ofsaid 70 

